Please join the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies for a performance and conversation with band members of the Celtic Revue, Aidan Duffy, Ben Duffy, Tadhg O’Raillaigh, and Paul Spring. The Celtic Revue will be joined in conversation with Radvan Markus, Associate Professor in Irish language and literature at Charles University Prague and Critic-in-Residence at the Keough-Naughton Institute. Topics discussed will include the history and cultural importance of trad music in Ireland, trad's influence on and intersections with other contemporary music genres, and the band members' experiences integrating a trad musical background within their own songwriting and creative practices. The Celtic Revue will also play a mix of music, spanning traditional sessions, original songs, and instrumental compositions across Irish and American musical traditions.
In connection with this conversation, we also welcome you to join us later in the evening for the opening night of the Irish Film Fleadh, co-presented by the Keough-Naughton Institute and the Browning Cinema! The Irish Film Fleadh's opening night will feature a screening of In Time: Dónal Lunny and conversation with Executive Producer Prof. P.J. Mathews (UCD). The screening will take place at the Browning Cinema at 7:00 pm and will be followed by a reception and performance by the Celtic Revue. This performance is a free but ticketed event. Please visit the event webpage to reserve your tickets.
You can also catch the Celtic Revue performing alongside local musician Joseph Baughman on Saturday, April 25 at Vacant Space in Mishawaka, IN! Click here for more information and to reserve tickets.
About the Celtic Revue
Aidan Duffy is a traditional musician and songwriter from Trim, County Meath. He plays traditional Irish guitar, mandolin, and bouzouki. He has an extensive repertoire of Irish ballads and songs, and is a gifted singer. He plays in the The Leon Stax Equation and Lo-Flier, as well as produces music for others.
Ben Duffy is a drummer, singer and songwriter from Trim, County Meath. In addition to his extensive experience as an Irish trad musician, he is the songwriter, lead singer, and drummer of The Leon Stax Equation, a six-piece soul and funk band.
Tadhg Ó Raghallaigh is a uilleann piper from County Meath. Irish is his first language, and he comes from a long line of respected players. He is also a traditional Irish music teacher. His family started the local chapter of Comhaltas Irish music education in County Meath.
Paul Spring is a songwriter from Minnesota, now based in NYC. Together with Tadhg, Aidan, and Ben, he recorded an album, which fuses trad and American music. Spring’s new album Dumb and Free wasreleased on November 11th, 2025. His 2022 album Thunderhead was praised by the Irish Times as a collection of "richly realised songs with deft lyrics and considered sensibility."
